Morning Prayer

Fridays - 8.30am

We hold a weekly service of Morning Prayer each Friday at 8.30am. It largely follows the format laid down in the Book of Common of Prayer (or Book of Common Worship), but has a contemporary feel by reducing the amount of scripture readings and allowing more time for prayer.

The Book of Common Prayer was first written in 1549 following the Church of England’s split from Rome – and contained the Anglican forms of worship. It underwent several revisions during the tumultuous changes of that period following King Henry VIII’s death and then the English Civil War. The final edition, based on Thomas Cranmer’s version, was published in 1662 and that stayed as the main form of worship in the Church of England until the 1900s – when more modern wording was introduced and different regions within the worldwide Anglican Communion adopted forms of worship more suitable to their location, language and culture.

At St Bartholomew’s we integrate this form of worship, which goes back more than 450 years, with a modern approach – recognizing the traditional format as well as the power of prayer and prayerful healing within a community. The Friday service lasts about 25 minutes.